Girl’s poker night: Max's Turn
by Elizabeth Bartlett
Summary: Poker night is a mixture of laughter and startling confessions for these four ladies.


A/N(1): So I'm finally posting this. -happy dance- Here's some back ground info: Techie came up with the idea that Nenya, Reefgirl, me and her should all write one-shots about Ladies Poker night dealing with all of our "Sue" characters since we somehow end up putting them together as friends on Atlantis (don't ask me how this happened, it just did). Techie, Reefgirl, and I have all posted so that leaves Nenya to post hers (I think pokage is in order). Here's a handy guide with the characters and what story/author they belong to:

Lydia Winter: Physicist (Retribution!-BiteMeTechie)

Crysta Santella: Biochemist (Travels Of An UnSue Mary Sue-NenyaVilyaNenya)

Alex Ramsey: Head Chef (Cooking With Blue Mary Sue-Reefgirl)

Maxine 'Max' Wainwright: Teacher (Not Your Normal Teaching Job- by none other than me.)

Standard disclaimers apply and review. Now...go read!

Girl's poker night: Max's Turn

It's my turn to host poker night.

That fact alone scares me.

Normally I'm fine having Lydia, Alex, or Crysta over but even then it's only for a few seconds, while I grab something, and not for an evening of card playing and boy talk.

Most of the ladies all have colds this week so it's just Alex, Lydia, Crysta and myself. Which is nice because we hardly get to spend time together as a group other than movie night and even then we don't talk, we just watch whatever we choose for that evening.

Ladies poker night is nothing special, just a chance for the girls in a place overrunning with testosterone to get together and gab while playing poker. And since we can't really use what money is here we use M&Ms and Skittles as chips.

And since it's "nothing special" I spend the hour and a half leading up to it all over the place, trying to get things set up and straightened up. In the past weeks my place looks like the tornado from 'Wizard of Oz' ripped through and I haven't had the time/energy to straighten up.

I gather up a pile of stuff and instead of shoving it in my closet (it's already full) I pile it on the bed. I figure if I can just get the front room cleaned, shove everything from there into the bedroom, and close the door then everything'll be good.

In going with the casual nature of the evening I'm wearing jeans and a shirt that I've had forever. I don't bother with my hair, just putting on a hat with the brim backwards.

The chime sounds and I look at my watch.

Damn it; the _one_ time they have to show up when I tell them...

I drop one last pile of stuff in the bedroom and shut the door.

I then open the door and they're all there. "Hey guys, what'd ya bring?" I ask as they come in.

"Double chocolate chip cookies." Alex says holding out a tray loaded with cookies.

"So _that's_ what that heavenly sent was this afternoon." I say grinning. "They look good."

"Ask the staff, they'll tell you that they are." She says, sitting down and pulling out the deck of cards.

"What about you guys? Think you can top the cookies?"

"Nah, you know that." Lydia says, turning her chair backwards and straddling it. "But I did bring these." She says, tossing a rather large bag of gummie worms onto the table.

"Yum. Now all we need is some Oreo's and chocolate pudding and we could have 'dirt-n-worms'." Alex says.

"Ooo, I haven't had one of those is ages." I say.

"Me either." Lydia says.

"What?" Crysta asks, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "That sounds unsanitary."

"And this coming from the woman who drinks out of a beaker." Alex says, raising her eyebrows. Lydia and I just laugh at the comment.

"You get some chocolate pudding, put gummie worms in it and put crushed Oreo bits on top and that's 'Dirt-n-worms'." Lydia explains.

"Oh." Crysta says, the realization sinking in. She then sits up straight and says, "That reminds me, I brought the drinks." She then bends down to her bag and pulls out two large beakers, both full of what looks like to be Kool-Aid. Setting them down on the table with a clink she says, "It's strawberry flavor."

"Neato." I say, setting out the cups.

"Nice hat by the way." Lydia sniggers while opening the bag of pretzels.

I just make a face and start shuffling the cards. "Ok, what'll it be? Little five card stud?"

"What about something different?" Crysta says.

"Like what?" Alex asks, unwrapping a lollypop and sticking it in her mouth.

"We could play 'Federation Day'." I suggest.

"What?" Alex asks.

" 'Federation Day.' You know from the 'Next Generation' episode 'Outcast'?" All three are giving me blank looks.

And Lydia calls herself a Trekkie.

I sigh and explain, "Two's, Aces, and Six's are wild because the Federation was founded on October eleventh, twenty-one sixty-one."

"Oh. It's been forever since I saw any Next Gen episodes." Lydia says.

"Me to and _I_ remember the game." I reply.

"What about Bridge?" Crysta suddenly suggests.

We all look at her for a few seconds and then at each other, not sure what to say. It's one of those moments where I wish we had the cartoon 'blink blink' sound effects. Then one of us starts laughing and we all join in.

"Sure, sure." Lydia says, wiping tears from her eyes. "And then when we're done we can play Canasta."

"Hey, it was just a suggestion." Crysta says defensively.

"Geeze it's not astrophysics'." I say, taking some Skittles and popping them in my mouth. "Just pick a _gorram_ game."

"_Beejway, neen hen boo-tee-tyeh duh nan-shung_." Lydia says.

"Watch your mouth." I retort, throwing a few Skittles towards her. Lydia ducks and the Skittles harmlessly fly over her, bouncing on the floor and eventually coming to a stop against the sliding door.

"What?" Alex asks. "What'd she say?"

"Nothing that you need to know. Hey, why don't we do something completely different this week?" I say before Lydia has a chance to open her mouth and tell them. I recognized the line as something from _Firefly_ and I don't think that they need to know that she called them inconsiderate schoolboys.

"What do you mean by something new?" Lydia asks.

I shrug. "I don't know, something that we've never done before."

"Well that does define new, but what do you have in mind?"

I'm silent thinking. "What about 'Truth or Dare'?" They're quite for a bit, obviously thinking about my suggestion.

Then Crysta says, "Sounds interesting. But I think that there should be some ground rules."

We all nod our heads in agreement and I say, "How about anything that we divulge doesn't leave this room?"

"Sounds good." Alex says. "And no dares that could be used as blackmail in the future."

"Deal." Lydia says.

"I'm good with that." Crysta adds. "Who's first?"

"I'll start." Alex says. "Crysta, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Crysta replies without missing a beat.

"Ok, why the beakers?"

"Because they're cool and I like to freak people out by drinking from them." She says smiling. "Besides, it's even better when you drink from one of them in the lab when someone's doing an experiment. Make them think that you're drinking whatever they're working with." We laugh at the last comment. That has to be good.

When we're finished getting the giggles Crysta says, "Ok, Lydia. Truth or Dare?"

Lydia seems to think for a moment before answering, "Truth."

"Who covered you with silly string on Halloween and why?"

"McKay and because I pulled Silly Snot on him first." She replies. "Alex, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"What's up with you and Radek? Are you friends or more?"

"We're friends who just happen to enjoy each other's company. Shut up, Lydia." Alex says, saying the last part just as Lydia opens her mouth.

"What? I wasn't going to say anything." Lydia says, putting on an innocent look.

Alex snorts at that and says, "Yea right." She then turns to me and says, "Ok Max, Truth or Dare?"

I'm silent for a bit, not sure what I want to do. What the hell? "Truth." I say. Besides, it's not like there's anything embarrassing that they don't already know about.

"Who do you like better; Evan or Logan?"

I stand corrected.

"Friend or otherwise?"

"Otherwise."

I'm silent for a bit, not really sure what to say. I like both of them as friends, but _boyfriends_? That's a tough one. "I'd have to go with Evan." I say after thinking about it for awhile.

"Really?" Crysta says, looking somewhat surprised. "Can we know why?"

"Well he's funny, not bad to look at, knows how to handle kids, likes sports, and can prank with the best of them."

"What about Logan? The two of you were getting kind of cozy there for a bit." Lydia says, pulling a gummy worm in half with her teeth.

"Speaking of Logan, I noticed that you two haven't had lunch in a while. What's up?" Alex says.

"Yea, what's going on? He's almost living in the labs and whenever you guys run into each other you act like the other has the Plague." Lydia says, tossing a few M&Ms into her mouth.

"Really?" I ask in a (hopefully) innocent tone. "I hadn't noticed."

"Oh come on, it's not that hard to notice. Ever since you slept with him-Ow!" Crysta says, cutting off when I jam my foot into her knee.

Lydia chose that moment to take a drink when Crysta spilled the beans about me and Logan and does a spit-take, showering me with Strawberry Kool-Aid. "You _what_?" Lydia exclaims.

"Was that really necessary?" Crysta asks, rubbing her knee under the table.

"Yes, because you said that you would tell anyone and you spill it when we're playing 'Truth or Dare'. When it's not even your turn I might add." I retort, wiping the Kool-Aid off of my face. "And thanks for the spontaneous shower, Lyd."

"Ok, back it up a few miles." Lydia says, holding up her hands. "Let me get this straight; you _slept_ with Logan?"

"Pretty much, although I should add that I was _really_ drunk at the time and I was reeling from my breakup. I wouldn't recommend it."

Lydia snorts. "Obviously." Looking at Alex she says, "_You_ don't seem to be shocked by this revelation."

"Crysta told me the morning after."

Hah, I was right. Crysta _did_ tell Alex after I told her.

"Ok, new rule; no one is allowed to tell Crysta any secrets. She can't keep her mouth shut."

"Hey!" Crysta protests.

"Well it's true."

"How is it that I'm the last to know these kinds of things?" Lydia complains.

"Maybe because you spend all your time in prank wars with Dr. McKay." Crysta says, picking up the beaker and pouring the last of the Kool-Aid.

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Ladies please." Alex says, interrupting them before the exchange can become even more childish. "We're talking to Max here about her little booty-call with Logan."

"It was _not_ a booty-call." I protest, blushing. "For it to _be_ a booty-call we would have had to be in a relationship. And we're weren't. _Aren't_." I amend.

"Then what was it?"

"Something that's hopefully never going to happen again as long as I stay sober."

"So how was it?" Alex asks, shuffling the deck of cards.

"How was he?" Crysta asks.

"I'm not going to tell you." I say, lowering my face into my hands. "And when did this turn into a discussion about my sex life?"

"When Crysta spilled the beans." Lydia says. "I have to say that some of the girls in the labs would've _loved_ to be in your position."

"Agh, I _so_ do not want to talk about this. Can't we play some more 'Truth or Dare'?"

"Just one more question." Alex says. "Trust me, it's important."

"What?" I ask, sighing.

"Did you...ya know." Alex says, motioning with her hands to convey what she meant.

I'm silent, dreading the response to my answer.

"Well?"

"I'm not sure." I say in a meek voice, slightly cringing.

"What!?" all three of them exclaim at the same time.

"Did you and Logan get so smashed that you guys forgot about the 500 different kinds of birth control?" Lydia asks.

"Did you ask Carson for a pregnancy test?" Alex asks.

"Ew, no." I say, slightly shuddering. "Besides if I did then it'd be all over the base before dinner. You know how fast gossip travels here."

"There's such a thing as Doctor/Patient confidentiality, you know. It's not like he could go blabbing it to anyone."

"True, but Melissa or someone else could overhear and _they_ can blab it."

"That is true, but still you should."

"If I start craving chocolate covered potato chips I'll go ask him for one, alright?" I say, trying to come up with something that'll satisfy everyone.

They're silent for a few seconds then Lydia says, "Chocolate covered potato chips...sounds good."

"Ew." Crysta says, sticking out her tongue.

"That's disgusting." Alex comments, wrinkling her nose.

"Can we just play?" I ask, hoping to forget this entire exchange.

We play a few more rounds of 'Truth or Dare' until we can hardly look at each other without bursting into side-splitting laughter. The girls leave, with promises that everything we shared we'll keep to ourselves, and then I'm left alone with a bunch of half empty bags of candy, chips and half a platter of cookies.

Sighing I get up and start to clear away the mess, and I can't help but think about our conversation regarding Logan. But I push those thoughts out of my head.

It's over and done with.

Besides, I have to plan my revenge on Crysta for spilling the beans. I'm think of something in the shaving cream and honey family.

A/N(2): The 'Federation Day' conversation was an actual conversation that my sister and I had when she was home for Winter Break. It's amazing how I can remember something from Trek reruns but I can't remember where I put my jump drive...strange. The line in Chinese _is_ from an episode of 'Firefly' ('Objects in Space' to be exact) and the line is as follows: "Shut up, you inconsiderate  
schoolboys." I also must attribute Lyida's line about the 500 different kinds of birth control to 'Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip' (great show). And now ends the longest A/N I will most likely ever write.


End file.
